Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, September 21, 2024.
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READ: Guo posts bail, but headed for Pasig jail
DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo posted bail of 540,000 pesos before a Valenzuela City court on Friday but will be transferred to a jail in Pasig City, where she is charged with human trafficking, an offense where no bail is allowed. Judge Elena Amigo-Amano of the Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court Branch 282 postponed Friday’s arraignment of Guo, after her lawyers filed a motion to quash because the graft cases against her were filed in Capas, Tarlac. The judge wanted to detain Guo in a Valenzuela jail in the meantime, but her lawyers insisted she be detained at the custodial facility of the Philippine National Police citing security reasons. They then offered to post bail to keep Guo out of the Valenzuela jail. Her bail, originally set at 180,000 pesos, was raised to three times the amount at the request of the prosecution. Hours later, after the bail was raised, the judge allowed Guo to be released. The PNP confirmed that Guo will be transferred from police custody to the Pasig City jail. PNP Public Information Office chief Col. Jean Fajardo, in a press briefing in Camp Crame, said the date of her transfer to the Pasig Jail has yet to be announced. The impending change of custody comes after a Pasig City Regional Trial Court issued a warrant of arrest against Guo in connection with her qualified human trafficking case.
READ: Michael Yang’s brother arrested
THE Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) said they have arrested the brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Yang Jian Xin, also known as Tony Yang, was nabbed by agents of the Paocc, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp). Yang, deemed an undesirable alien, will be deported and blacklisted if he is found guilty, BI Officer in Charge Joel Anthony Viado said. The deportation will start after all pending cases in the Philippines are resolved, he said.
READ: De la Rosa denies Mabilog testimony before House
SEN. Ronald de la Rosa on Friday said former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog lied before the House quad committee when he testified that dela Rosa invited him to Camp Crame in 2017 so he could kill him there. De la Rosa, then the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Duterte administration, described Mabilog’s testimony as an incredible lie. During the House quad committee probe into extrajudicial killings, illegal drugs and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), Mabilog claimed that the controversial narco-list of former president Rodrigo Duterte was used as a weapon to target his political rivals.
READ: Revilla to run for Senate under Lakas-CMD banner
SEN. Bong Revilla was proclaimed the official senatorial bet of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) in the 2025 midterm elections at the party’s national convention on Friday. Revilla is the first announced candidate of the so-called “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas” (Alliance for a New Philippines) administration slate being formed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s party, Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, alongside Lakas-CMD, Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition and the National Unity Party.
READ: France honors Legarda
SEN. Loren Legarda was bestowed with the title of “Officier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur” by the French government on Thursday. French Ambassador Marie Fontanel bestowed the title during a ceremony held
at the ambassador’s residence. The recognition builds upon Legarda’s previous honor as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor 2016, underscoring her significant contributions to strengthening Philippine-French relations, cultural diplomacy and climate action. In her acceptance speech, Legarda expressed deep gratitude and humility, emphasizing that the award was a call to action, not just a recognition of her past efforts. Legarda also reflected on the importance of cultural diplomacy in strengthening bilateral relations.
BUSINESS: Bangko Sentral cuts reserve requirements
Headlining business, theBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Friday announced reductions in bank reserve requirements, set to take effect on October 25, with further cuts possible given the current inflation outlook. The reserve requirement ratios (RRR) for universal and commercial banks, and nonbank financial institutions with quasi-banking functions (NBQBs) will be slashed by 250 basis points (bps) to 7.0 percent, 200 points to 4.0 percent for digital banks, and 100 bps to 1.0 percent and zero percent, respectively, for thrift banks, and rural banks and cooperative banks. Reducing the RRR will release funds that can be directed toward productive activities, boosting economic growth.
SPORTS: Weightlifters Colonia, Inan bag 4 golds at World Juniors
Over to sports, the Philippine delegation has so far won four gold medals and two silvers in the ongoing 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Junior Championships in Leon, Spain. Angeline Colonia and Lovely Inan each bagged two gold medals and one silver medal at the women’s 45-kilogram and 49 kg divisions on Thursday.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today’s front page columnists. Contreras thinks that congressional hearings are not the proper places for truth-seeking and truth-telling, Makabenta looks into cultural democracy, while Remoto talks about a new summer novel.
Today’s editorial says complacency is a big risk for the country. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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